Dog boarding in southern Brooklyn

October 4, 2011 8:10 AM

Reputable dog-boarding in southern Brooklyn?

TL;DR
While we wait for our ten-sided approach to treating our adopted 3-year-old puggle's social anxiety to kick in, I feel like we will need to board her overnight at some point. We can usually get a sitter, but due to our remote neighborhood (Bensonhurst), this can be difficult, especially on a Friday or Saturday night. My girlfriend and I have been taking turns on social engagements since we got her this summer, but there's a number of evening events coming up wherein we are both expected to attend and it seems that we may not get someone we know and trust to stay with her.

She's getting much better during the day, but I don't want to take any chances at night as she previously barked for four straight hours in her crate when I left her at 7PM and we live in an apartment building. The vet gave us tranquilizers, but while she gets a little loopy on those, I'm afraid they might not do the trick. There's also the Kong, the DAP diffuser, the extra-tight hoodie, the audiobooks we leave on, the extra-long walks to tire her out and the training strategies from the behaviorist we hired, but, like I said, we're this close to having someone from The Government show up to inspect what's going on and I don't want to take any chances.

So I want to have a nice place on hand that we can board her overnight in case we have to leave late and be out late, so she doesn't feel abandoned and we don't have to spend the night worrying about her (or whether the neighbors are calling Animal Control or something.)
/TL;DR

Anything near/below the park would be great, as north Brooklyn is both difficult to access from where we live via public transportation and she's spooked by loud noises (like the train.) Taking a cab back and forth from Park Slope is affordable; taking a cab back and forth from Greenpoint, not so much. Thanks everyone!

posted by griphus to pets & animals (9 answers total)

...adopted 3-year-old puggle's social separation anxiety to kick in...
posted by griphus at 8:11 AM on October 4, 2011

So, I've heard good things about Paws in Paradise in Park Slope. They even seem to have a backyard for the little guys, which is cooler than the place I used to send my little guy.

A note: normally doggie daycares want to do a meet-n-greet before accepting a boarder, so if you're going out this weekend, you'll want to call the place earlier than later. They'll want proof of shots and all that too.
posted by functionequalsform at 9:22 AM on October 4, 2011 [2 favorites]

I run a doggie daycare in NJ. Please, please call ahead. We are not a hotel, we need to make sure the dogs work out. Nothing is worse than having a brand-new dog that is terrified and is stuck in a new environment for a weekend. You'll likely need three vaccinations, Distemper, Rabies, and Bordatella. If they don't require an evaluation, find another place. If they refuse to let you see where the dogs stay, find another place.
posted by InsanePenguin at 9:36 AM on October 4, 2011

What form does the proof of shots have to come in? I've got printouts that the rescue received from the city/state (she was a stray) stating that she was looked over by a vet and given all her shots. Is that good enough?
posted by griphus at 9:44 AM on October 4, 2011

Your vet will give you a proof of vaccinations paper if you ask.
posted by wrok at 9:49 AM on October 4, 2011

If I can get a piece of paper with a name, number, and address of a rescue or vet that I can confirm (if it looks fishy/I've never heard of them before,) and it has the names of all the shots and the date given it's good enough for me. Most vets take the labels off of the vaccine bottles and stick them onto the paper, which is preferable, but whatever.
posted by InsanePenguin at 11:13 AM on October 4, 2011

I would also like to point out that if your dog doesn't pass her eval (rare,) please be polite to the staff. It's not personal, we don't hate your dog, yes I know that she gets along fine at the dog park, etc. In most cases it's because the dog is legitimately uncomfortable and their stay would be very stressful. It's really rarely aggression. Dogs act very differently in different environments, especially environments where their owners are not present.

The good news, however, is that I have lots of dogs that have extreme separation anxiety and do very well at daycare. Mine own included.
posted by InsanePenguin at 11:18 AM on October 4, 2011

Unleash Brooklyn in Greenpoint.
posted by spicynuts at 11:23 AM on October 4, 2011

In most cases it's because the dog is legitimately uncomfortable and their stay would be very stressful.

One of our friends who just dogsat for us while we were on vacation took her to a bar in Brooklyn and said she had a great time -- good sign?
posted by griphus at 11:28 AM on October 4, 2011